Volleyball Recap: Ava Simpson's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Willard over Republic

Fans were treated to a battle of the Tigers on Tuesday. Willard fell just short of Republic by a score of 3-2. Willard just can't catch a break and has now endured three defeats in a row.

Willard took Republic into a fifth set but they suffered a heartbreaking four-point loss. The match finished with set scores of 25-23, 23-25, 22-25, 25-21, 15-11.

Willard lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Ava Simpson, who had nine digs and four aces. Ashlyn Hurd was another key player, getting eight digs and three aces.

Republic was led to victory by Addyson Warner and Chloe Pullan. Warner had 20 digs and two assists, while Pullan had seven digs and two aces. Warner has been hot recently, having posted 11 or more digs the last four times she's played.

Willard's loss dropped their record down to 20-10-4. As for Republic, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-10-1 record this season.

Willard wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next contest, a 3-1 win against Carthage on the 16th. As for Republic, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next matchup, a 3-0 victory against Parkview on the 16th.